Ray Booty

Most lightweight enthusiasts will have heard of Ray Booty,
who on
August 6 1956 became the first man to break the four-hour barrier for a
100 mile time trial with a time of 3 hours 58 minutes 28 seconds and a
month later attacked the ‘straight-out’ 100 mile
record,
which he smashed with a ride of 3 hours 28 minutes 40 seconds, a time
which held for 34 years.

As was the way in the 50s, most of Ray’s riding was done on
fixed-wheel but as he was riding for Raleigh he was compelled to try
out the Sturmey Archer hub gears as the Raleigh/Sturmey organisation
wanted to be able to use the fact that he had done so in their
advertising. He did use the AC for two races, a test in a 50
mile
time-trial, and then the RRA 100 mile event but he found that the
ASC(fixed-wheel)
gear ratio was too wide and considered it to be more of a touring
gear. For the RRA event the machine was kitted out to the
following specification: Stronglight 49A (steel cotterless ) chainset
with 54 t Williams 5-pin ring , SA AC hub gear and Airlite SF QR
release front hub on sprint rims. GB Coureur brakes, Brooks B17
Champion Narrow saddle, Long GB steel stem, and unkown deep road bars
which were rather like the GB Road Champion, Raleigh RRA pedals.

The image shows
Ray at speed on one of his Raleighs but this time on fixed-wheel.

One of Ray Booty's bikes from 1955 is available to view in Readers' Bikes.